Black History Month Programs Planned In Vienna During February

VIENNA, VA — Historic Vienna, Inc. will help celebrate Black History Month in February with several programs.

Each February, Black History Month celebrates the history and culture of Black people in the U.S., including their fights for freedom and equal rights. While the observance may evoke some nationally-known figures and events, there's history as well in local communities like Vienna.

One example is the Honesty family from Vienna. Historic Vienna, Inc. will host a program on Vienna's Honesty Family in 18th and 19th Century Virginia on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. through Zoom. The presentation looks at the early history of the Honesty family in Fairfax County, including an indentured woman named Elizabeth Honest.

According to Historic Vienna, Inc., Honest was a servant for the Neale family of Westmoreland and Fairfax Counties in the mid-18th century and protected her young mixed-race family from Virginia slavery and servitude laws. The presentation looks at court records to show how Elizabeth Honest's descendants settled in Fairfax County and faced tightening slavery laws. That led the family to think about wanting to live in Fairfax County amid the laws or seek safety in non-slaveholding states.

The presenter is Heather Bollinger, an independent professional historian and former archivist at the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center. During the presentation, attendees can learn skills from Bollinger to do their own research.

The Zoom meeting ID is 833 9285 8172, and the passcode is 259490.

Throughout February, there is also an exhibit called Celebrate Vienna’s African American Trailblazers at the Vienna Community Center. This is an extension of a previous exhibit with a focus on Vienna's African American families. It is located at the Vienna Community Center's new History Wall.

This year, Vienna's Black history will also be recognized with the renaming of Patrick Henry Library to Vienna-Carter Library during the library expansion project. The name honors the Carter family, a multiracial family with roots in Vienna and Fairfax County history. One member of the family, William McKinley Carter was a charter member of the Fairfax County NAACP and helped establish an integrated county library branch in the Town of Vienna. The project is still in the design phase and is expected to kick off construction in early 2025.

Historic Vienna, Inc. runs the Freeman Store and Museum, which is only open by appointment in January and February and will reopen in March. For more information on Historic Vienna, Inc. and upcoming events, visit www.HistoricViennaInc.org.